WATSONVILLE — An ordinance to amend the Watsonville Municipal Code regarding camping outside of designated areas will return to the City Council Tuesday for a final vote.
The amendments — which would effectively bar homeless people from setting up tents, recreational vehicles or other forms of makeshift housing as well as using cooking supplies in designated areas — were approved for a first reading by the council on a 6-1 vote at the June 23 meeting.
The second reading, as well as a map of “no encampment zones” within the city, are on the consent agenda where items generally considered routine are voted on in one motion. However, items may be pulled from the consent agenda at the request of a member of the public or councilmember for further discussion and a separate vote.
According to the resolution, which would amend Chapter 35 of the city code, the amendments were primarily inspired by two events in 2024. The first was the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Johnson v. City of Grants Pass, Oregon, which ruled that municipalities imposing penalties for sleeping or camping in public places did not violate the Eighth Amendment. The second was an executive order by Gov. Gavin Newsom directing California agencies to remove homeless encampments on public property.
“(T)he Governor’s order highlighted the Supreme Court’s Johnson decision and encouraged local governments to take action ‘with urgency’ to remove encampments from public spaces, ‘prioritizing those encampments that most threaten the life, health, and safety of those in and around them,’” per the resolution.
During the previous presentation on June 23, police Capt. Mish Radich said the city has had an ordinance regarding illegal camping on the books since 1987 but has not been updated since. A recommendation to update the ordinance was included in the Homelessness Strategic Plan adopted by the council in September 2025.
Currently, city crews conduct weekly encampment and debris cleanups along levees, waterways and trails and provide 72-hour notices to vacate prior to each cleanup, Erica Griggs of the Watsonville city attorney’s office said at the previous meeting. However, Griggs emphasized that homeless people often relocate to other sites after cleanups, requiring additional notices.
“We have to restart our process, so it becomes we’re following people around these areas to keep our environmental areas clean,” she said.
The ordinance would designate city-owned levees, waterways, trails and historic resources such as City Plaza Park and the gazebo as “no encampment zones.” Individuals would not be allowed to set up camp, store or leave unattended personal property, digging in the dirt for the purpose of setting up camp, use cooking supplies except in designated barbecue areas in city parks or sleep in vehicles, including recreational vehicles. These areas would be marked with signs that include maps of prohibited camping zones and information on shelters and how to retrieve belongings. Crews would immediately be allowed to clean up the designated areas without the 72-hour notice requirement, which will remain in place at sites not designated as “no-encampment zones.”
Radich also said “no encampment zones” would include areas surrounding homeless shelters or navigation centers, although he noted that no zones are being proposed for these areas currently.
Approximately 100 signs would be installed, which Radich said would cost approximately $25,000 to implement, or $250 per sign.
The only councilmember to vote against the changes to the ordinance was Vanessa Quiroz-Carter who felt the city lacked adequate shelters to serve homeless people and that the proposal was inhumane.
“People have rights,” she said. “They have a right to public space. You can’t just kick them out because they look homeless. That’s absolutely disgusting. I will not be supporting this.”
Mayor Pro Tempore Casey Clark said the updated ordinance was necessary for Watsonville’s safety.
“We need this in our community,” he said. “We need to keep our community safe for those who are here and who are contributing to our community, not those who are bleeding it dry.”
In other business, the council will consider amendments to the city’s purchasing ordinance and levying assessments for three of the city’s lighting and landscaping maintenance districts.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday on the top floor of the Watsonville City Council Chambers, 275 Main St. A graduation ceremony for the Summer in the City program and closed session to discuss legal matters will precede the regular meeting at 4:30 p.m.